Mastermind for May 9th. Dear Agent, Please Call Me Back and The Long Bomb Client

Despite the busy market, many agents still recognize that Mastermind is an important part of their routine. Yesterday’s meeting was well attended and we had an opportunity to talk about such juicy topics as “Wacky Clients” and agents with terrible follow-up skills. As usual, our Queen West meetings get quiet lively so if you missed it, here are the topics de jour.

I started off the meeting talking about an agent who was looking for some guidance on how to deal with a potential client. On the initial phone conversation, the person seemed like a genuine solid lead looking for an expensive property but after a few conversations this agent had the distinct impression the person on the other end of the line was not rowing with both oars in the water.  It reminded me of a letter I received several years ago from a guy who wanted to buy a $7M listing I had. His name was King Larry and he had put together a fairly lengthy presentation on how he was going to buy this property and transform it into Canada’s own Versailles. naturally I dismissed his offer without a second glance but it begs the question (and with no disrespect to people with mental health disorders); are there a standard set of  clues that might lead us to believe that the person we are speaking with may not have control of their facilities? We are all guilty of believing (or hoping) that a client just called you out of the blue about a multi million dollar listing. We secretly do the math on the commission and we spend time feeding the prospect with more and more information. I like to call them the “Long Bomb Clients” to use a football analogy. Close your eyes and throw hard and hope that the receiver catches it. From experience I can tell you….they never do. Most of the agents at our meeting told stories of “Long Bomb Clients”, and we all agreed that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. From the initial conversation, take the time to research the prospect thoroughly. If someone has the means to purchase a multi million dollar home, they are on the Google radar somewhere.

Next we heard from an agent who had a client interested in a property but had some questions for the listing agent. He had spent days calling the agent but could not get him to return the call. His cell phone was either off or went to the answering service. On one occasion he tried to leave a message but the mailbox was full. So, what could he do? Call the manager, or call the office and register an offer. I am amazed at how often agents don’t return calls. Lost calls mean lost opportunities but more importantly if an agent is not returning your calls it makes you look bad too.  Seriously, how busy are you that you can’t answer a phone. Time to take a time management course.  Our business succeeds on Realtors communicating with each other so if you show a house and the listing agent calls you for feedback, please give it to him.